Air conditioning apparatus



May 23, 1939. R LAMBERT 2,159,030

AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 51, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR eaaferfl 14/ 40537- ia ATT NEY May 23, 1939- R. D. LAMBERT AIR CONDITIONING APPRRRTUS.

5 Sheets-Sheet- 2 Filed Dec. 31, I936 1939- R. D. LAMBERT 2,159,030

AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 51, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 y 1939- R. o. LAMBERT 2,159,030

.un commomue APPARATUS Filed Dec. 51, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR 505567214/75567 AT RNEY May 23, 1939. R. D. LAMBERT AIR connmomue APPARATUS Filed Dec. 31, 1936 s Sheets-Sheet 5 I fie: A RNEY Patented May 23, 1939 UNITED STATES AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Robert D. Lambert, New York, N. Y., mm... to I American Radiator Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application December 31, 1936, Serial No. 118,461

6 Claims.

My invention relates to air conditioning apparatus, and more particularly to air conditioning apparatus of the type which operates to increase the humidity of the air of room spaces during the colder months of the year when artifl-' cial heat is required to maintain the dry bulb temperature of the room space at a required value, and which also operates to remove moisture from the air of the room space and discharge such moisture from the room during the improved construction and arrangement of parts,

and which operates to accomplish the results sought in a simple, eilective, and efllcient manner and without necessitating the use of expensive and troublesome drain connections for conducting away the moisture extracted from the atmosphere during the hotter months of the year.

A further object is to provide an air conditioning unit suitable for use in room spaces, which is highly compact and pleasing in appearance and which can be quickly and easily installed at a comparatively low cost, and which will supply adequate amounts of moisture to the air in the room space during the wintertime and effectively remove excess moisture from the air in the room space in the summertime.

Without imposing any limitation on the invention in its broader aspects, a still further object is to provide air conditioning apparatus of the type explained above which includes as an element thereof a single air humidifying mechanism which is so constructed and arranged with respect to the'other elements of the apparatus that it operates both to discharge to the outside excess moisure extracted from the air of the room space during the summer season, and also to add to the air of the room space during the winter season moisture from a separate source of supply.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, to be more fully described hereinafter, and the novelty of'which will be particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed.

Inthe accompanying drawings, to be taken as a part of this specification, I have fully and clearly illustrated a preferred embodiment of my inventiomin which drawings- Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing my improvenients as embodied in a single unit adapted to be positioned in a room space adjacent a window opening;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section through the unit shown in Fig. 1, looking from the fiont of the unit toward the window, the section being taken on the line 2-4 of Fig. 5, with certain parts being broken away to illustrate more clearly the interior construction and. arrangement of the elements;

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 3-8 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 4-4 of F18. 2;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal plan section taken on the broken line 5 5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a perspective. view illustrating in detail certain elements of the apparatus disclosed,

and showing the relative positions they would occupy when assembled in the complete apparatus;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view illustrating, partly in plan and partly in section, a portion of the enclosing casing, the condensate discharge duct and the connections thereto;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view with parts broken away, somewhat similar to Fig. 2, and illustrating a modified form of myinvention; and

. Fig. 9 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8'.

Referring now in detail to the construction illustrated, it will be observed that I have shown ,my invention as embodied in a single highly compact unit suitable for installation in room spaces. The unit comprises an enclosing casing ar cabinet I 0 including a main central section II, and wing sections l2 and i3 located, respectively, at the ends of said central section.

The central section is provided with an inlet opening it in the top thereof which is in communication with the room space, and with an inlet opening IS in the top and rear thereof which is in communication with a rectangular duct I6 extending horizontally and rearwardly from the central section II and through an opening defined by a partially raised window sash l1 and communicating at its open outer end with the outside atmosphere. The central section H of the casing is also provided in its top at the forward side thereof with an outlet opening l8 communicating with the room space.

A damper i9 pivoted at 20 serves to proportion the amounts of room air and fresh air entering the main central section I I through the inlet openings l4 and I5, An operating lever 2| connected to the damper by means of a link 22 serves to position and hold the damper in any preselected position. In Fig. 3 of the drawings, the damper I9 is shown in full lines as closing the inlet opening l and providing only for room air to enter the central section II of the unit. The damper is shown in dotted lines as being in a position where substantially equal amounts of room air and fresh air may be admitted into the unit through the inlet openings I4 and I5.

From an examination of Fig. 3, it will be observed that an upright U-shaped passage 25 is provided in the main central section and includes a down-coming leg 26 and an up-going leg 21. The leg 26 communicates at its upper end with the inlet openings l4 and I5, and the up-going leg 21 communicates at its upper end with the outlet opening 18. A replaceable filter 28 of any suitable construction may be arranged across the upper part of the down-coming leg 26 and serves to remove from the air entering the U-shaped passage, any foreign particles such as dust, dirt, pollen, and the like.

Immediately below the filter in the downcoming leg 26 is arranged a cooling and dehumidifying means, here shown to be a refrigerant evaporator coil 29, which consists in a plurality of horizontally-extending pipes 30 connected at their ends to provide a continuous flow of the refrigerant therethrough, and provided on their exterior surfaces with vertically-arranged fins 31 serving to promote the rate of heat absorption. Any suitable refrigerant may be supplied. to the interior of the coil 29, for example, sulphur dioxide (S02) The coil 29 is connected at one end to an inlet pipe 32 and at the otherend to a discharge pipe 33.

It will be appreciated that, in operation, the inlet pipe 32 will be connected to the discharge side of a conventional type of motor-compressorcondenser unit (not shown) which operates to supply liquid refrigerant to the pipe 32, and that the discharge pipe 33 will be connected to the suction side of the motor-compressor-condenser unit. It is believed unnecessary for an understanding of the present invention to illustrate in the present application a motor-compressorcondenser unit,'for.the construction and operation of this type lof unit is well known to those skilled in the art.' In operation, the motor-compressor-condenser unit may be located at any suitable place; for example, in a separate cabinet in the room'space, or it may be located outside of the room space. In either case, pipes of sufiicient length will be provided to connect the inlet and discharge pipes 32 and 33 of the evaporator coil 29 with the compressor.

A solenoid valve 34 may be provided in the inlet pipe 32 for controlling the flow of refrigerant to the cooling coil 29 in response to room temperature conditions. Also, the inlet pipe 32 is provided with an expansion valve 35 which may be controlled by a thermostat 36 on the coil 29 to regulatethe amount of refrigerant flowing to the coil, and consequently the refrigerating effect of the coil.

The cooling coil 29 is suitably supported from the end walls 31 and 38 of the central section II by brackets 39 connected by bolts 40 to supporting sheets 4| arranged at each end and extending transversely of the coil 29. Surrounding the cooling coil andextending therebeneath, is a metallic-duct member 42 also supported by the i brackets 39 and so constructed as to provide for the effective separation from the air of condensed moisture gravitating from the cooling coil and in suspension in the air leaving the coil.

Suitably arranged at the lower end of the U- shaped passage 25 and beneath the cooling coil 29, is a condensate-collecting pan or receptacle 44. This receptacle is provided with an inclined cover 45 which serves to collect the moisture and to direct its flow to one side thereof, which side is spaced, as indicated at 46, from the adjacent upright side of the collecting pan 44 to provide an opening through which the water may flow into the pan therebelow.

Arranged within the U-shaped passage 25 and at the lower end of the up-going leg 21, is a motor-blower unit 41 comprising. a motor 48 supported by brackets 49 and 50 from a supporting plate 5| which is in turn secured at its ends to the end walls 31 and 36 of the central section II by brackets 52 and bolts 53. The unit 41 also comprises blowers 55 arranged, respectively, at each side of 'the motor and including blower wheels 56 carried by extensions of the motor shaft 51 and surrounded, respectively, by scroll-shaped casings 58, the latter being secured to and held in position by the supporting plate 5|. The casings 58 are provided at each side with eyes or air inlet openings 59 communicating with the lower part of the U- shaped passage, and are provided with upwardly-opening discharge openings 60.

At this point, it might be well to point out that the duct 42 enclosing the cooling coil 29 and depending therefrom, is provided with a depending inclined side wall part 62 terminating in a vertical side wall part 63. The lower end of the opposite side wall 64 of the duct is inclined, as indicated at 65, and terminates in a horizontal bottom wall part 66 which is spaced from the lower edge of the wall part 63, as indicated. This construction serves to cause the moistureladen air coming from the coil 29 to make a complete change in direction of fiow before it enters the inlets of the blower, and thereby provides for the efiective separation of the moisture out of the air by centrifugal action.

The openings ".50 of the blower discharge the air into an acoustically-treated duct including converging legs 1| and 12 communicating, respectively, with the discharge openings 60, and an upper part 13 into which the legs 1| and 12 discharge. Arranged in the part 13 is a heating coil 14 which consists of horizontal pipes with vertical fins 16 suitably connected by a pipe 11 with any suitable source of heat supply; for example, a steam or hot water main. A hand-operated valve 18 in the pipe 11 serves to control the flow of heating fluid to the coil 14.

In Fig. 6 of the drawings it will be observed that the two legs 11 and 12 and the upper part 13 of the duct 11] are formed as a single unit, and the ends of the upper part 13 are cut out as indicated at 19 for the reception of the supply and return connections for the heating coil 14. The duct 10 is suitably secured by screws 89 to the end walls 31 and 38 of the central section II.

In. accordance with the present invention, I provide a single motor-driven humidifying means, which is of the water-atomizing type and is provided with an inlet means connected both to any suitable source of water supply and to the condensate-collecting receptacle. The humidifying mechanism is indicated generally by the reference numeral 85 and is positioned within the wing section l3 of the enclosing casing. As will presently appear, during the season of the year dry bulb temperature in the room space at awhen the outdoor dry bulb temperature is below that required in the room space and heating fluid is supplied to the heating coil 18. to maintainthe comfortable value, the mechanism 88 operates to supply moisture from a separate source of water supply to the room space, thereby increasing the relative humidity of the air in the room space and rendering the latter a more healthful and comfortable place in which to live. Also, during the warm season of the year when the dry bulb temperature and humidity content of the outside air are above that required in the room space for comfort, and a refrigerant fluid is supplied to the cooling coil to maintain in the room space a lower and'comfortable dry bulb temperature and to extract the excess moisture from the air of the room space, the mechanism '88 operates to remove the condensate from the receptacle l4 and to discharge such moisture directly to the outdoors, thereby eliminating any drain connections and attendant installation and service problems.

Insofar as certain of the broader aspects oi the present invention are concerned, the separate source of water supply may be of any suitable type. Herein, I have chosen to show a waterreceiving receptacle in the form of a cup-shaped metallic member 88 arranged in the, wing section I2 and fixed to the bottom wall thereof. The open upper end of the member 88 is provided along its rim with an annular seat 81 for an inverted water supply bottle 88. The neck 88 of the bottle extends down into the receptacle 88 and the shoulder portion 88 of the bottle is supported by the seat 81. The seat may be suitably notched, in a manner not shown, to provide a suitable air passage for maintaining atmospheric pressure above thewater level in the receptacle The cup or receptacle 88 is connected below the normal water level therein by a pipe 8I to a cupshaped water supply receptacle 82 located in the wing section I8 and forming a part of the mechanism 85. A second pipe 88 connects the condensate receptacle 44 with the pipe 8I. The construction-is such that the water is supplied by gravity flow to the receptacle 82 both by the water bottle 88 and the condensate receptacle 48. The water is supplied by the bottle 88 in the wintertime, as it is kept filled and there is, of course, no water supplied to the condensate receptacle, because the cooling coil28 is not supplied with refrigerant. In the summertime, the bottle is, of course, empty, and the amount of water supplied to the receptacle l4 depends upon the amount of'moisture condensed out 01 the air by the coil 28.

In addition to the receptacle 82, the mechanism 85 comprises a motor-driven humidifying unit 85 including a motor 88 having a depending vertical shaft 81 to which is connected a disk member 88 having a central opening 88 and a vertical tube I88 co-axial with the disk and depending there-v from and communicating at its upper end with the opening 88 in the disk. The lower end of the tube I88 extends below the normal water level in the receptacle 82 and is provided with openings I8I for the entrance of water from the receptacle. Fixed to the under-side of the disk 88 are radially-exten'ding blades I82 which function as a centrifugal fan when the disk and tube are rotated by the-motor.

The motor 88, disk 88, tube I88, and Ian I82 are supported in operative position by an annular metallic member I88 which is fixed to the motor housing and is in turn supported by spaced posts I84 from a horizontal disk part I85 01? an annular casing element I88. The casing element I88 is supported from the upper rim of the water. supply receptacle by spaced brackets I81. The outside diameter of the casing element I88 is smaller that the inside diameter of the rim of the receptacle 82 so as to provide a space I88 between the element I 88 and receptacle 82 for the entrance of air into the receptacle 82. A cup-shaped screen I88 is suspended from the part I81 and surrounds the tube I88 so as to keep dirt and the like from entering the lower end of the tube. Openings II 8 are provided in the upper end of the screen and above the water level so as to permit the free ingress of air to the fan blades I82.

A hood II I, irustro-conicalin shape, surrounds the upper part of the motor and is supported from its lower rim by a flange II2 extending from the rim of the casing element I86. A coaxial discharge outlet I I8 is provided in the upper end of the hood.

When the motor 88 is operated, water from the receptacle 82 is drawn into the holes I8I in the lower end of the tube I88, due to the rapid rotation thereof, and the water passes up through the tube through the opening 88 and onto the rotating disk 88. Due to the centrifugal action incident to the rapid rotation of the disk, the water is thrown from the periphery thereof at high velocity and in the form of a thin sheet or fllm. The film of water strikes a stationary cylindrical part Ill of the metallic member I83 which is formed with a multiplicity of vertical slots or discharge orifices II5 extending from a level appreciably above the plane of the disk to a level appreciably below the disk. The water is broken up into a fine mist, or is in efiect atomized, as it strikes the part Ill and the mist is moved through and beyond the slots I I5 by air set in motion by the rapidly rotating fan blades I82. The humidified air and water mist entrained therein flows upwardly out of the hood I II through the central discharge opening II3.

In the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 7 of the drawings, the lower end of a flexible hose I I6 is secured by a clamp I" to the upper end of the hood III and receives the stream of humidified air and water mist entrained therein as it moves through the discharge outlet I I3. The upper end of the flexible hose I I8 is so constructed that it may be removably connected to either a nozzle member II8 extending through and carried by the top wall I I8 of the wing section I3 and communicating. at its upper end with the room space, or to the lower end of a discharge duct I28 leading to the outside atmosphere through themain entrance duct I 8 (see Fig. 7). The hose is shown in dot-and-dash lines in Fig. 4 and in full lines in Fig. 7 as it appears when connected to the duct I28.

The operation of my improved apparatus will be apparent from the above description. The motor-blower unit 85 serves to withdraw air either from the room space or from the outside or from both, and to discharge said air upwardly into the room space through the outlet opening I8. In the wintertime, when the dry bulb temperature of the outside air is below that of the room space, it is necessary to heat the air entering the room. At this time, steam or hot water is supplied to the heating coil'll, and the air is thereby heated as it flows through the U-shaped passage into the room. As is well known, in the wintertime, when the outside dry bulb temperatures are relatively low, there is a deficiency of moisture in the air, and when this air is brought into the room and heated to room temperature, the relative humidity in the room is abnormally low. It is therefore necessary, for the comfort and health of the occupants of the room, to increase the humidity of the room by supplying additional moisture thereto. At this season of the year, the upper end of the hose H6 is connected, as shown in full lines in Fig. 4, to the nozzle member I I8 and the humidifier is supplied with water from the water bottle 88, receptacle 88 and pipe 9|. The mechanism 85 will then discharge a stream of air with water mist entrained therein through the hose I I6, nozzle member II8, into the room. As will be seen from an examination of Fig 2, the nozzle member II8 may be suitably inclined toward the outlet opening I8 in the central section II, so that the entrained water mist will be quickly evaporated in the heated air issuing from the outlet opening I8. In the summertime, the humidity content and temperature of the outside air are, of course, in

excess of thatrequired in the room. During this season of the year, the heating fluid is, of course,

shut off from the coil -'I4 by the valve I8, and a refrigerant is supplied to the cooling coil 29. The

air flowing over the cooling coil 29 is chilled be-- low its dewpoint, which results in the condensing of a portion of the moisture out of the air. This condensed moisture gravitates into the collection receptacle 4 and any particles of water which may be in suspension in the air stream are separated out by centrifugal action before they enter the inlets 58 of the fan. During this season of the year, the upper end of they flexible hose H is connected, as shown in dot-and-dash lines in Fig. 4 and in full lines in Fig. 7, to the lower end of the .discharge duct I20, and the water bottle is of course empty. The humidifying mechanism 85 is then supplied with water from the collection receptacle 44 and operates to re move this water by atomization or breaking it up in the form of mist and discharging it upwardly entrained in the air stream and through the discharge duct I20 to the outside. A suitable switch I25 operated by a float I28 serves to control the operation of the humidifier motor in response to the water level in the receptacle 44.

From the above, it will be appreciated that I have provided in a single unit, apparatus which is suitable for conditioning the air in room spaces during the entire year. The outside duct con- 1 nection I 6 provides adequate ventilation to the room space.

The heating coil I4 serves to maintain the proper temperature of the air in the room space during the wintertime. The cooling coil 28 serves to dehumidify the air and to maintain a comfortable temperature in the room space during the summertime The humidifying mechanism 85, due to the fact that it is connected both to the condensate-collecting receptacle and to a suitable source of water supply and is provided witha discharge duct which may be quick-- ly connected either to the nozzle member II8 or the duct I20, is operable to add moisture to the air in the room space during the wintertime when it is required, and also to discharge to the outdoors the condensate from the collection receptacle during the summertime; and, by reason of this arrangement, no complicated and expensive drain connections are necessary for the removal of condensate.

In Figs. 8 and 9, I have illustrated a modified form of discharge connection for the humidifying mechanism. The mechanism is indicated at 85a and is of the same interior construction and operates in the same manner as the mechanism 85 of the previously described modification. A hood I I la encloses the upper part of the motor-driven humidifier unit and is provided at its upper end with two discharge outlets connected, respectively, to the lower ends of metallic ducts I30 and I3I. The upper ends of the ducts I30 and I3I are connected, respectively, to a nozzle member II 8a and a duct I 20a' leading to the outside atmosphere. A selector valve I32 is provided in the upper end of the hood la and is operated by a hand-operated lever I33. When the lever is in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 9, the entrance to the duct I30 is closed by the valve I32, and the humidified air stream is discharged out of doors through the duct I3I and duct I 20a. When the lever occupies the position shown in dot-and-dash lines in Fig. 9, the entrance to the duct I 3| is closed by the valve I32 and the humidified air stream is discharged through the duct I30 and nozzle I I 8a into the room space.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In an air conditioning unit adapted to be installed in a room space, the combination of blower means providing for the circulation of air about the room space; dehumidifying means operable to extract moisture from the air as it is circulated; a water-collecting receptacle arranged to receive the moisture from said dehumidifying means; a separate source of water supply; a single water-atomizing mechanism having an inlet connected to both said receptacle and to said separate source of water supply and having an outlet through which atomized water is discharged; and conduit means connected to said outlet and providing for the discharge of atomized water from said receptacle to the outside atmosphere and for the discharge of atomized water from said separate source into the circulating air.

2. In an air conditioning unit adapted to be installed in a room space, the combination of blower means providing for the circulation of air about the room space; dehumidifying means operable to extract moisture from the air as it is circulated; a water-collecting receptacle arranged to receive the moisture from said dehumidifying ,means; a separate source of water supply; a single water-atomizing mechanism having an inlet connected to both said receptacle and to said separate source of water supplyand having an outlet' through which atomized water is discharged; a conduit leading from the room to the outside atmosphere; a nozzle device directed to discharge atomized water into said room space; and means for selectively connecting the discharge outlet of said mechanism to said conduit and to said nozzle.

3. In an air conditioning unit adapted to be installed in a room space, the combination of an enclosing casing having an air passage therein communicatively connected to the room space; blower means in said passage and providing for the circulation of air through the passage and about the room space; dehumidifying means in said casing operable to extract moisture from the air as it is circulated; a water-collecting receptacle in the casing arranged to receive the moisture from said dehumidifying means; a separate source of water supply in said casing; a single wateratomizing mechanism in saidcasing having an inlet connected to both said receptacle and to said separate source of water supply and having an 'phere and for the discharge of atomized water from said separate source into the circulating air.

4. In an air conditioning unit adapted to he installed in a room space, the combination of an enclosing casing having an air passage therein communicatively connected to the room space; blower means in said passage and providing for the circulation oi air through the passage and about the room space; dehumidii'ying means in said casing operable to extract moisture from the air as it is circulated; a water-collecting receptacle in the casing arranged to receive the moisture from said dehumidifying means; a separate source of water supply in said casing; a single water-atomizing mechanism in said casing having an inlet connected to both said receptacle and to said separate source or water supply and I having an outlet through which atomized water is discharged; a nozzle device connecting the interior or said casing with said room space; a conduit connecting the interior of said casing with the. outside atmosphere; and means for selectively connecting the discharge outlet 0! said mechanism to said nozzle-device and to said conduit.

5. In an air conditioning unit adapted to be installed in a room space, the combination of an enclosing casing divided interiorly into an aircirculating compartment and a water-atomizing compartment; the air-circulating compartment having spaced inlet and outlet openings communicating with the room space and an air passage connecting said openings; blower means in said passage and providing tor the circulation of air through said passage and about the room space; a cooling device arranged across said passage; a water-collecting receptacle in said aircirculating. compartment and positioned to receive the condensed moisture from said device; a separate source of water supply in said casing; a single water-atomizing mechanism in said water-atomizing compartment and having an inlet connected to said receptacle and to said separate source of water supply and having an outlet through which atomized water is discharged; and conduit means connected to said atomized water outlet and providing for the discharge of atomized water from said receptacle to the outside atmosphere and providing for the discharge of atomized water from the separate source into the circulating air.

6. In an air conditioning unit adapted to be installed in a room space, the combination of an enclosing casing divided interiorly into an aircirculating compartment and a water-atomizing compartment; the air-circulating compartment having spaced inlet and outlet openings communicating with the room space and an air passage connecting said openings; blower means in said passage and providing for the circulation of air through said passage and about the room space; a cooling device arranged across said passage; a water-collecting receptacle in said aircirculating compartment and positioned to receive the condensed moisture from said device;

a separate source 01' water supply in said casing;-

a single water-atomizing mechanism in said water-atomizing compartment and having an inlet connected to said receptacle and to said separate source 01' water supply and having an outlet through which atomized water is discharged; a nomle device connecting said wateratomizing compartment with the room space; a conduit connecting said water-atomizing compartment with the outside atmosphere; and means for selectively connecting the discharge outlet or said mechanism to said nozzle device and to said conduit.

ROBERT D. LAMBERT. 

